The present invention relates generally to an appliance mounting device and, more particularly, to a tubing pinch valve and mounting bracket assembly.
A variety of small valves have been developed for controlling the flow of fluids through flexible tubing. One such valve is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,708. Although the tubing pinch valve disclosed in this patent has met with substantial commercial success, it suffers from the disadvantage that it can not be conveniently mounted. As a consequence, the valve is assembled to the tubing itself and typically requires two hands to be properly adjusted. In addition, separate brackets or fixtures are required to fix the position and orientation of the tube runs with which the valves are used. There exists, therefore, a need for a simple and convenient means for mounting such tubing pinch valves and other small manually manipulated appliances.